You're missing my point, man. By assuming that virtually
all police are criminals just because some are, you're doing the
same as I would be if I assumed that everyone is a criminal until
proven otherwise.

No, I assume all police are because MOST of them
are. that is the type of person who is attracted to that sort
of job.

And on top of that, by the very nature of the job they do, ALL
COPS are liars and bullies. They use threats, deception and
intimidation (and sometimes even force) - because, otherwise,
they can't get their job done.

"Okay so in some places it may be broken, but that doesn't mean
it is everywhere."

That process WORKS. It keeps the non-criminal elements out
of the boys in blue club.

"They use threats, deception and intimidation (and
sometimes even force) - because, otherwise, they can't get
their job done."

Yep, they are trained on the job how to lie to everyone they
deal with, and how to provoke someone into saying something they
normally wouldn't. They are taught how to skate around the
edges of a law in order to bypass legal issues. If there is
no fear of being caught, they can be abusive physically, mentally,
and verbally. And they really provide no worthy public
service. They are a drain on society. Approximately 10%
of the force, ANY force, is worth trying to salvage, but 90%
of them should be fired yesterday.

Approximately 10% of the force, ANY force, is worth
trying to salvage, but 90% of them should be fired
yesterday.

100% agreed. Like I mentioned yesterday in the thread about
prisons - nobody who wants to be a cop or a prison guard
should ever be allowed to be one. Only two kinds
of people become cops: A) the kid who was bullied in high school
and now wants to take it out on others from behind a tin star; and
B) the jock-bully in high school who couldn't hack his sport in
college, never went pro, but was too stupid to benefit from (or
usually even finish) college - so he decided to be a cop so he
could still be the same no-neck "badass" he was and feel tough and
important again.

Nah, I have to be careful with stuff like that. My shoulders are
fucked up. The tendons snap over the bone whenever I throw a
football or a baseball or a baby and then they're sore for days
afterwards. It's called like, some kind of tendonitis or something.
Makes a godawful sound when it happens too.

On the plus side, I have a lifetime scrip for
anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers. So, that's nice.

For the second time, this question is offensive to anyone who
has served as an officer on our streets, serving the public, and
risking our lives. As I have. Oh, and by the
way... One of our local officers was just shot and killed
while on duty by a felon fleeing arrest. I don't think that
his family would appreciate this question either. I will not
justify this question by answering it. This question should
be removed from the list, or we should be allowed to skip it.
Thank you. TTFN. Glenn.

Anecdote is not the singular form of data. There is much
more data supporting the view of police expressed in this thread
than data supporting the heroic public servant you portray.

Anecdotally, however, as someone who has been arrested for
resisting arrest (no other charges were filed) after they realized
they couldn't arrest me for trespassing on my own property, I'm
going to have to go with the consensus here.

I have many more anecdotes, trust me... apparently at police
academy they teach that people with blue mohawks or long hair can't
possibly be law-abiding, property-owning, tax-paying citizens, and
they certainly can't live in upscale neighbourhoods.

The authority of the police is derived only from the authority
of the citizenry to do EVERY SINGLE THING that the police do.
Police are not above the law, but they are taught that they
are. I, as a citizen, am the law. No cop is above
me. And, as a side note, until police are subject to the
UCMJ, they are civilians, and every time a sworn peace officer
refers to me or anyone else as a civilian as though they are not, I
will spit on him and hope he tries to do something about it.